Suction apparatus.



G. E. STEVENS.

SUCTION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION r1120 NOV, 20, 1913.

PatentedSept. 19, 1916.

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Witnesses G. E. STEVENS. sucflom APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20. I913.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Inventor: Page Esta/ens,

0 e G H b Witnesses be apparent from' zii'i'ya description,landthe STATES enonenn. STEVENS,

or LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, Assienon 'ro GENERAL-ELECTRIC comm, A CORPORATION or new roan.

SUCTION Al-PARATUS.

" Specification otlletters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 191

Application filed November 20, 1913. Serial No. 802,072.

Lynn, in the county of Essex, State of Mas: sachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Suction Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to suction apparatus for removing dust, lint, and dirt generally. from floors, walls, ceilings, carpets, furniture, clothing", and articles and fabrics of all kinds, and the like, and it comprises various 7.

novel features of operation and construction and various novel combinations and arrangements of parts.

Among the advantagesobtainable in con-V nection with ,my invention I may .inention that the apparatus can be made light, compact, strong, durable, convenient, and of good appearance; that it can be made simple, effective, and economical in operation; and that it can be manufactured easily and cheaply. Y

a I have hereinafter illustrated and described in detail a suction or vacuum appa- 'ratus' which is the best embodiment of my inyei ftioi 1- at presentknown to me; but while the intention-amends to this particular form of; apparatus. -,to its f specific fea- .tures; anddeans; get-Ir "thereto, j

Various advantages; e'apparaltus shown .besides thoseabqve :mentioiied will scope of the. invention-will be indicatedin myclaims.

In the accompanying drawingsfFigure 1 is a vertical section through an apparatus constructed in accordance with my. -inven-: tion; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus, 1 various parts being removed or broken away; Fig; 3 a fragmentary sectionalview illustrating a structural detail; Fig.

4 is a fragmentary sectional view at a surface'corresponding to the line 44 in Fig. 2. As will be seen from'Figs. 1 and 2, the

apparatus comprises a casing 1' of a gener-" ally cylindrical form having air inlet means 2 which may be-i connected with any desired form of dirt collecting or nozzle device (not'shown) and air outlet means 3 which may be connected with any desired point of discharge; or -may open directly mto the atmosphere. Suction creating means coma suction at said device, and the dust, dirt,

or other material collected is removed from the air by separator means 5, which in the apparatus shown i s'also located within the casing 1. creating means comprises a motor 6 for driving the exhauster 4,this arrangement being preferable to a connection with an outside source of power,and for the sake of compactness and for various other reasons the motor 6 is located within the casing 1 along with the exhauster 4: and the separator 5.

As shown, the ,exhauster 4 is arranged at p the upper end of the casing 1 with the-motor 6 beneath it. The exhauster'comprises a rotary impeller 'Zrwhich revolves about an upright axis formed-by an extension of the motor shaft 8, and also an inclosing structure 9 having in it various assages for the.

air and also a bearing 10- or said shaft 8. The impeller? is of the centrifugal type and receives the air acted on by it at its upper side. The motor- 6 is arranged centrally in the casing 1 in the path of the air so as to be completely surrounded and cooled by it; and as the air enters .the casing 1-from the inlet means 2 below the motor 6 it comes in contact with the motor before it hasjbeen heated by compression in the exhauster 4, which :makes the cooling more efi'ectivejthanit would otherwise be. The motor field or'body 11 '(which may, if desired, be ofthe laminated type) is hung from the structure 9 by a number of screws, and a base part 12 is in like manner secured beneath-the body-11. This base 12 serves to inclose the armature, the field coils, and other parts of the motor *6, and protect them from any dust ,ordirt that might otherwise find its way'to them, and it-also carries another shaft bearing 13 similar to the bearing 10 and a vertically adjustable step bearing 14 threaded tlirough a suitable hole and held fast bya'lock-nut 15. I

On the lower' side of the base 12 are legs 16 for-supporting the motor and the. exhaust'er and the parts associated with them when the apparatus is opened up as hereinafter descr bed; If greater ventilation of the motor is desired and entrance ofsmall In this apparatus the suction amounts of line dust to it is not deemed objectionable, the casing of the motor may be pierced to allow passage of the upwardly flowing air among the field coils and around the armature.

The separator 5 is arranged across the casing 1 so as to extend beneath the motor 6 in the path of the air, thus preventing the dirt, dust, and other material brought in by the air from reaching the motor.

As shown the separator comprises a baggy strainer which, under the action of the air, bulges up around the motor, affording ample straining surface even with a fine fabric, and also ample space for the air to come to rest and permit all heavier material to drop to the bottom of the casing 1. In the casing wall just above the inlet 2 is a shallow groove 17 to receive the expanding spring wire ring 18 sewn into the hem of the separator bag 5. The ends of the wire 18, Fig. 3, fit into a short metal sleeve 19,one of them being preferably fastened so that there is no risk of the wire piercing the fabric.

It will be seen from Figs. 1 and 2 that the impeller 7 comprises a hub portion 20 at the center of a disk portion 21 that carries on its upper side a number of alternately long and short radial vanes 22 and 23, and that it is inclosed in a central chamber in the structure 9,a cover plate 24 secured in place by screws being removable to afford an opening for its introduction or withdrawal. The air ascending around the motor 6 passes on up through three ducts or passages 25 that pierce the structure 9 outside of the impeller chamber to an upper chamber 26 between the upper side of said structure 9 and a cover 27 whose edge is fastened tight against a gasket at the bottom of an annular groove 28, screws being employed for this purpose. From the up per chamber 26 the air descends into the impeller chamber through a central opening 29 in the cover plate 24, entering the passages between the upwardly extending and forwardly inclined inner ends 29 of the guide vanes of the long impeller vanes 22 as it passes through the opening 29. The purpose of the vanes 29 is to direct and guide the incoming air on to the impeller vanes without shock, thereby improving the efliciency of the apparatus. The upper end of the shaft 8 is supported in a suitable bearing, comprising in the present instance a jewel 30 mounted in the lower ends of a vertically adjustable screw member 31 and engaging a stud 32 at the bottom of a recess in the upper end of the shaft 8. As will be seen from Figs. 1 and 2, the member 31 is secured in the middle of a beam 33 which extends across the" op'ening29 and has lateral feet at its endsthat are secured'to the structure 9 byltwo of the screwsthat hold the cover plate 24 in place. The air leaves the counterclockwise revolving impeller 7 in tangential counter-clockwise streams and flows outward through gradually expanding more or less nearly involute-shaped passages 35 between the partition walls 36. At the outer ends tension of the bottom wall of the impeller chamber) into an annular discharge passage 39 which lies between the central flange 40 of the structure 9 to which the motor body. 11 is secured and the circumferential wall 41 of said structure 9, but is partially restricted at vario points by the walls of thepassages 25 (Figs. 1, 2, and 4). From the an-. nular'passage 39 the air passes directly into the outlet 3. Preferably the passages and openings 35, 37, and 39 are so'designed that on the whole the outflow channel afforded by them gradually increases in cross section for all or a part of its length, so that the pres- 'sure of the air shall not be unnecessarily} much above atmospheric when it reaches the\ outlet 3. It will be seen that with thear-l rangement of the various passages and 1 chambers in the structure 9 herein shown and described the space required by'the exhauster is reduced to a minimum and satisfactory operation at the same time insured.

To allow the apparatus to be easily opened for removal of dirt from beneath the separator 5, the structure 9 and its cover 27 may be made as a sort of removable top or lid 43 for the lower portion 44 of the casing 1.- As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the lower part of the casing has a smooth rounded up per edge 45, and the structure 9 has at its lower outer edge a flange 46 with an annular groove 47 adapted to fit over the edge 45, there being a rubber or other suitable gasket 48 .at the bottom of the" groove 47 to make a tight joints For fastening the structure 9 and associatedparts on the main casing part 44 are employed three fasteners 50 equally spaced around the upper edge of the part 44.

' Each of these fasteners 50 consists of a lug gasket thereafter causes it to move the rest ofthe way to the v position shown. For convenience in lifting the lid 43 a handle 57 is secured to the cover 27 Electrical connection may be made by various'well-knownferids of attachment device with two suitably insulated contact pins 58 mounted on the structure 9 and connected by wires (not shown) with the motor 6.

From the foregoing description it- Will be seen that the device comprises a small number of rugged and comparatively simple parts that can be cheaply manufactured and cheaply and expeditiously assembled. Thus the main casing part 44 and the cover 27 can be-easily made from sheet aluminum; the parts 2, 7, 9,12, 24:, 33, and 57 may be ordinary aluminum castings or forgings, and the motor can be one of well-known type; and all the parts require but a'small amount of relatively simple machine work or polishing, etc.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 2+- 1. In a suction apparatus, the combination of a casing having an air inlet at the bottom, a structure mounted on the casing which forms a closure therefor, 'said structure being provided with animpeller chamber, partitions that form dischargepassages,

a chamber receiving air from the passages, a

centrally located motor supporting flange, and an outlet from the chamber, an impeller ,7 located in the impeller chamber and wholly above the motor, a vertical shaft motor for driving the impeller which is secured to the under side of said flange so that air fromthe inlet flows over the motor and coolsit on its passage to the impeller, and a passage which conveys air from'the casing inlet through said structure to the inlet ends of the vanes of the impeller.

2. In a suction apparatus, the combination of a casing having an air inlet at the bottom, a structure mounted on the casing which forms a closure therefor, said structure having an impeller chamber which has a central opening on its'upper side, partitions that surround the impeller andform gradually expanding passages, an outlet that communicates with the passages, and ducts that convey air from the under to the upper side of said structure, a cover which with the structure forms a chamber receiving air fromthe ducts and supplying it to said central opening and the impeller, an impeller located in said chamber, a vertical shaft motor for drivinthe impeller, said,- motor being cooled by t from the inlet to said due 3. An exhauster comprising a structure having in it a central impeller chamber with axial 'inlet means, a .receiving and delivery passage surrounding said impeller chamber andin communication therewith, and passages from one side thereof to the other around said impeller chamber; and a rotary .impeller insaid impeller chamber receiving air axially through the aforesaid inlet means.

4. An exhauster comprising. a structure on its passage j having in it a central impeller chamber with axial .inlet means, a receiving and dc peller chamber with an inlet opening from above, a receiving and delivery passage sur-- rounding said impeller chamber and in communication therewlth, and passages from its lower to its'upper'side around said impeller chamber; a. rotary impeller in said impeller chamber arranged to revolve about an upright axis and receive air at its upper side through the aforesaid inlet; and a motor for drivingv said impeller mounted on said structure. J

6. In an. apparatus of the character described, the combination of a casing, a structure removably supported thereon which forms a cover and contains an impeller chamber, a discharge chamber, partitions forming gradually diverging passages between the impeller and discharge chambers, and an outlet leading from the discharge chamber, an impeller in the impeller chamber, ayertical shaft motor within the casing which is attached to and supported by said structure on its under side for rotating the impeller, means for attaching said structure to the casing, an inlet from which air entering the casing passes over the motor and cools it before entering the impeller, a passage conveymg airfrom the under to the upper side of said structure, and a cover for said structure whichcoiiperates with it to form a chamber that receives air from said passage and supplies it to the inlet ends of the impeller vanes.

7. Inan apparatus of the character-described, the combination of a casing, a

r through which air-enters the impeller, a ver tical shaft motor which isattached to the underside of said structure, a bearing for istructure mounted thereon which forms a cover and contains annnpeller chamber, a

the lower end of themo'tor shaft carried by the frame of the motor, a member which supports the bearing for the upper end of the motor shaft, and means arranged to admit air to the casing in such manner that, it passes over the motor and cools it before entering the impeller.

8. In' an apparatus of the characterdescribed, the combination of a easing, a structure mounted thereon which forms a cover and. contains an'impeller chamber, a

discharge chamber, partitions forming gradually diverging passages between the passages'in said structure which receive air from the chamber in the casing and deliver it to said guide vanes.

'9. In an apparatus of the character de-.'

scribed, the combination of a casing, a

structure mounted thereon which forms a a, cover and contains an impeller chamber, a

discharge chamber, partitions forming gradually diverging passages between the impeller and the discharge chambers, and

an outlet leading from the discharge cham- I:

her, an impeller located in the impeller chamber having main radial vanes and also axially extending guide vanes that direct the incoming air to the main vanes, a plate located on one side of the impeller which forms one side of its chamber and has a central opening whose wall surrounds the periphery of the guide vanes and assistsin guiding the air, a motor supported by said structure which drives the impeller, a cover which is fastened to said structure and with it forms an inlet chamber for the impeller, an inlet in the casing, and ducts in said structure located between the im-' peller chamber and the periphery of the structure which receive air from the under side of said structure and deliverit to'said '50 inlet chamber.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of November, 1913. i

y I GEQRGE E. STEVENS,

Witnesses:

JOHN A. MOMANUS, Jr., FRANK G. HATTIE. 

